WJPA Sports

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl. Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left for the go-ahead score. He threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Trinidad Chambliss had put Ole Miss ahead with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 left. The 10th-ranked Hurricanes didn’t play in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game but proved they belong in the CFP. They will face either top-ranked Indiana or Oregon for the national title.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal in his return from an upper-body injury and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory. Erik Karlsson pushed his career-best home points streak to nine games with a goal, while Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte also scored for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby extended his points streak to eight with two assists and surpassed Wayne Gretzky for the second-most assists with one franchise in NHL history. Stuart Skinner made 28 saves for the Penguins.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith confirmed Thursday that the Tennessee Titans have reached out to interview him for their head coach opening. Smith said he’s only focused on his current job and the future is a distraction right now. Smith coached for the Titans from 2011 when he started as a quality control assistant up to offensive coordinator in 2019 under four different head coaches. He left after the 2020 season to be head coach of the Atlanta Falcons where he went 21-30 in three seasons. The Titans were the first NFL team to fire a coach in October and now are among eight looking for a new coach.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn is a Pittsburgh Pirate. The veteran first baseman and outfielder has signed two-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $29 million. This is the Pirates’ first multi-year free agent agreement in nearly a decade. O’Hearn is coming off his best season, hitting .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025. He made the All-Star team for the first time while playing for Baltimore and San Diego. This move follows Pittsburgh’s acquisition of two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from Tampa Bay as the Pirates try to build an offense to help out a pitching staff led by reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.